Are stars playing it too safe on the red carpet because they're afraid of fashion critics?

Fashion Police

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TV Show

In last week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly (click here to buy the issue), Lynette Rice looked at the blend of style commentary and shtick — the latter mostly provided by Joan Rivers — on E!’s Fashion Police, which has recently enjoyed an awards season ratings boost. Co-host Giuliana Rancic claimed that the show is even influencing red carpet trends, with some celebrities admitting that, “when they are working with their stylists, they have Fashion Police in the backs of their minds.”

Could a fear of winding up on the worst dressed list explain why this year’s awards season style seemed so, for lack of a better word, safe?

At the L.A. premiere of Oz The Great and Powerful earlier this month, we asked Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz if they feel more pressure to look put-together, and whether they think celebrities are judged too harshly for what they wear. Read on to see what they said.

Mila Kunis

“Oh yeah, people have gotten more critical. Everyone’s got an opinion and this thing called the [Internet] allows everyone to voice their opinion. Before it was like five or six outlets really covering red carpet fashion and now there are hundreds of people talking about what people wore. And they don’t even stop at just what you wear [on the red carpet], they will critique the outfit you wore to go from your house to a set at 6 am, or to the airport. In a weird way, there is a lot more pressure on your dress than on anything else.”

Rachel Weisz

“I love fashion. I am really interested in it. I really enjoy it. I like seeing what other people are wearing in terms of awards shows. I do think that women are judged like cattle and it’s a shame. I don’t understand that part of it. I am not really interested in being that bold. I don’t really feel like someone who is going to change the face of fashion. I’m an actor, I just like to choose pretty dresses to go to awards shows and premieres.”

Michelle Williams

“That’s where I feel the pressure most, when I have to go out on a red carpet and have all those photos taken. It does not feel good to picked apart for every piece of clothing or jewelry or [pair of] shoes you put on.”

Tell us: Do you think the commentary on Fashion Police is all in good fun or does it go too far?